Spurred on by the presence of mega superstar, Barbadian Rihanna, the West Indies once again missed an opportunity to clinch their second victory and crashed to a sixth straight loss at the ICC Cricket World Cup here on Monday.
Rihanna rallied all day as a guest in the International Cricket Council’s box on special invitation by media manager Philip Spooner and came pretty close to missing a flight, but it was in vain as Sri Lanka defeated the regional side by 23 runs at the Riverside ground.
Similar to the New Zealand defeat when Carlos Brathwaite slammed a scintillating century, this time it was heartbreak for Nicholas Pooran whose tremendous effort of making his maiden one-day international century, wasn’t enough for the Windies to cross the line.
Pooran, a 23-year-old Trinidadian, who only last Friday was identified by former captain and legend Clive Lloyd and Chris Gayle as an emerging star, showcased his tremendous ability in a courageous knock of 118.
His innings from 103 balls, including 11 fours and four sixes was, like Brathwaite’s, the cornerstone of the Windies total of 315 for nine off 50 overs, chasing Sri Lanka’s 338 for six on a beautiful day before a capacity crowd. (BW)
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